The Promenade Pier, Ryde, Isle of Wight
The pier was originally built of wood in 1813. It was rebuilt and extended in 1824 and 1833. The present pier, which is owned by British Rail, has a pedestrian and vehicle deck, a disused tramway line and a railway track. It was at Ryde Pier that the Empress Eugenie landed from Sir John Burgoyne's yacht "The Gazelle" after her flight from Paris in 1870. She was the last Empress consort of the French from 1853 to 1871 as the wife of Napoleon III, Emperor of France.
